Mike Person went from being a Super Bowl LIV starter for the 49ers to hanging up his cleats within a matter of months.
The offensive lineman announced on Sunday he will be retiring after nine seasons.
For Person, he felt it was the right time, but wished things would have been different. He, of course, would have loved to leave Miami with a championship, but he explained how he believes he will never get over it.
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“It’s crazy. You make it there and you’re on top of the world,” Person told 406 MT Sports in a phone interview on Sunday. “And then you lose, especially in the fashion that we did, it is one of the most demoralizing things,” Person said. “It was tough to get over. To be honest with you, I don’t know if I am over it quite yet, or if I ever will be.”
“If you play football, that’s what you dream of, winning a Super Bowl. We were close. We just didn’t make the plays when we needed to.”
An incomplete pass from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders in the fourth quarter of the big game in February will haunt the two for a while, but it appears Person will have the same ghosts looming.
He was released by the 49ers back in March in an “unexpected” transaction. Despite other teams showing interest in the 32-year-old, his body wasn’t quite right after sustaining multiple injuries over his career.
San Francisco 49ers
Person also is most importantly a father and said if he were to sign with a team, that would force him to stay away from his kids and he feels he’s already missed too much of them growing.
Person won’t leave his NFL career empty-handed, however. He does have a Super Bowl ring during his time with the Seattle Seahawks at the beginning of his career, but he didn’t play in those postseason games.
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A seventh-round draft pick for the 49ers in 2011, Person, in addition to his time in Seattle, had stints with the Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts.
He was a staple during the games leading up to the Super Bowl with the 49ers, helping them win the NFC Championship last season as a fill-in starter. For him to be so close with so much invested certainly proves why this loss is more personal to him.